A. The quick answer is "I don't know". Which is perfect since not-knowing is what simply being is all about! But it took me a while to figure that out. And I read a lot of other people's ideas before what I already knew made sense to me.

Here's a taste of what I encountered along the way:

``Human Angels are souls who have chosen to be born now on this planet to awaken themselves and humanity to Unconditional Love and Awareness of the Oneness. Human Angels are beacons that simply by being who they are illuminate the darkness, to help those who are still on the path to stay the course.``

We Are Human Angels by Human Angels

Human Angels

from We Are Human Angels

Since childhood have wanted to change the world and have not stopped believing;

Have always dreamed of relieving the sorrows of all living beings;

Have a special talent to help others;

Have an out of the ordinary sensitivity;

Have overcome difficult trials in their life;

Think that despite everything, life should be lived with joy;

While trying to give meaning to their suffering, they believe that there must be a way to stop theirs and others’ suffering;

In their heart there is no room for hatred and resentment;

Always try to change evil into good and darkness into light;

Always follow their heart even when it seems to be the hardest thing to do;

Always had a vision of heaven on earth and would like to spread it throughout the world;

Have the ability to read people and know what is hidden within their hearts;

Silently bless everyone they encounter in their life;

From the very beginning, have always felt a sense of not belonging to this world;

Have never been able to relate themselves with any group of people, but they have always had a deep desire to connect themselves with their Soul’s family here on earth;

The search for truth is their greatest passion;

Live with honesty even when it hurts;

Believe in the healing power of Love;

Have the same dreams they had when they were a pure-hearted child;

Feel they were born for a greater purpose and would like to express it;

Wizards (or Wise Ones)

``In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara, is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. It derives from the Sanskrit word 'avatara' which means ``descent`` and usually implies a deliberate descent into mortal realms for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism, for incarnations of Vishnu the Preserver, whom many Hindus worship as God.``

Crystalinks.com

Hindu Devas

from Jayaram V + Crystalinks

Deva

The Vedic pantheon knows two classes, Devas and Asuras. The Devas (Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Bhaga, Amsa, etc) are deities of cosmic order and social order, from the universe and kingdoms down to the individual.

Asuras go by perceptual and superficial knowledge. Hence they lack true insight into the nature of things or the nature of reality. Since they go by their senses, they are prone to attachment, delusion and ignorance, and mistake the apparent reality as the highest reality.

The devas operate at the mental and intelligence level. Since they possess a lot of intelligence and analytical ability, they are not easily impressed by the surface reality. Because of their intelligence, which arises from the sattvic nature, they possess a lot of discretion or discerning wisdom, which gives them the ability to know right from wrong. Hence they can clearly distinguish between reality and illusion.

~ The Difference Between Devas And Asuras, Gods And Demons by Jayaram V, Hinduwebsite.com

Avatar

An Anglicised form of the Sanskrit, avatara, “descent”, from the root tr, “pass” (cf. Latin in-trare), and the preposition ava, “down”.

The word is used, in a technical sense, in the Hindu religion to denote the descent upon earth of a portion of the essence of a god, which then assumes some coarser material form, be it animal, monster, or man. Such descents are ascribed in the mythology of Hinduism to various gods, but those ascribed to Vishnu are by far the most important.